It's All Politics

9:07 am

Thu March 29, 2012

Santorum Seeks Some Reagan Jelly Belly Magic

A portrait of President Ronald Reagan made from jelly beans at the Jelly Belly Co. visitor center, in Fairfield, Calif., in June 2004. The photo was taken shortly after his death.

STEVE YEATERAP

For some people, few things say "Ronald Reagan" like Jelly Belly candy, apparently. Which explains why Rick Santorum will be holding a rally at the California headquarters of the candy maker Thursday.

Santorum is scheduled to attend a "Rally for Rick" event at the Jelly Belly Candy Co. facility in Fairfield, Calif.

As many people over a certain age will recall, the 40th president had a thing for jelly beans. He kept them in jars in the Oval Office and elsewhere in the West Wing and used them as an ice breaker for people who might be intimidated by the awe-inspiring trappings of presidential power.

Most of the Republican presidential candidates have tried to link themselves in some way to Reagan, a hero of American conservatives and Santorum has used Reagan repeatedly as a touchstone as part of his argument that he is a truer heir to Reagan than Mitt Romney.

The Washington Post reports that Santorum is expected to speak about foreign policy at Jelly Belly, which led to this absurdly sweet headline: "Santorum to deliver foreign policy address at Jelly Belly headquarters."

On the same day that Santorum would be covering himself, figuratively, in Reagan's jelly beans, Romney was scheduled to announce his receipt of the endorsement of the pork-rind lover in chief, George H. W. Bush, the man who was Reagan's vice president and who became the 41st president.